Aerospace engineering summer camp in Rome 2026: program overview

Building a rocket prototype, programming its electronics with Arduino, simulating the trajectory with professional software, and then launching it, is not a typical high school experience. For most students, it is the kind of thing they read about in physics textbooks and imagine for later. The Aerospace Engineering and Space Tech summer camp in Rome 2026 makes it happen in two weeks.

This program is designed for students aged 15 to 18 who are serious about engineering, physics, or space exploration. It takes place at the School of Aerospace Engineering of Sapienza University in Rome, one of Europe's oldest and most respected aerospace research institutions, in partnership with Agenzia Spaziale Italiana (ASI) and the European Space Agency (ESA). What follows is a complete overview of what the program involves, who it is for, and what participants take away from it.

‍

What is the Aerospace Engineering and Space Tech program?

The Aerospace Engineering and Space Tech program is a two-week residential summer camp that introduces high school students to the real practice of aerospace engineering through hands-on projects, laboratory work, and institutional partnerships. It is not a science fair or a general STEM camp. The curriculum is built around a single coherent project that runs across the full two weeks: designing, building, and launching a rocket prototype.

The program delivers 30 hours of structured instruction, combining lectures and laboratory sessions. The academic content covers:

• Aerospace engineering foundations and basic aerodynamics
• Rocket propulsion systems and design principles
• Space mission simulation using OpenRocket software
• Flight dynamics and trajectory modeling
• Embedded systems programming with Arduino for rocket electronics
• Data collection and analysis from rocket flight instruments

Every element of the curriculum builds toward the final output: a rocket prototype designed and built by the students, which is then launched at a dedicated site in Rovigo. The launch is not a demonstration by staff. It is the students' own rocket, following their own design, under their own programming.

‍

Why does the program take place at Sapienza University in Rome?

The School of Aerospace Engineering at Sapienza University was founded in 1926. That means it is approaching its centenary of continuous aerospace education and research. It has trained generations of Italian aerospace engineers, many of whom have gone on to work at ASI, ESA, Leonardo S.p.A., and other major institutions in the European aerospace sector.

Holding this program at Sapienza is not a branding decision. It means students work in actual aerospace engineering laboratories with equipment used for research. They attend lectures delivered or supervised by academic staff associated with one of the field's historic institutions. The environment carries a different weight than a generic science facility.

The partnerships with ASI and ESA extend that institutional credibility further. Agenzia Spaziale Italiana is Italy's national space agency, founded in 1988 and responsible for coordinating Italy's contributions to ESA missions, among other programs. The European Space Agency is the intergovernmental organization responsible for European space exploration and has 22 member states. Both organizations have a physical presence in the Rome area: ASI's headquarters are in Rome, and ESA's ESRIN research center is in Frascati, approximately 20 kilometers from the city.

For students who are genuinely considering careers in aerospace or space science, having a point of contact with these institutions at age 15 to 18 is a material advantage. It is not an abstract connection. It is a real institutional relationship that can be referenced in a university application, described in a personal statement, and built upon in future years.

‍

What does the curriculum look like in practice?

The program runs from July 19 to August 1. Arrival is on July 19 and departure on August 1. The excursion day is July 25. A typical weekday begins at 7:30 AM and includes two lesson periods in the morning (10:00 AM to 12:45 PM), lunch, two laboratory activity blocks in the afternoon (1:45 PM to 4:30 PM), and free or excursion time in the early evening before dinner and supervised night activities.

The structure of the curriculum across the two weeks follows a progression:

Week 1 focuses on foundations and simulation:Students are introduced to aerospace engineering principles, the physics of propulsion, and the basics of rocket design. They begin working with OpenRocket to model flight trajectories and understand how design decisions affect performance. They also start their Arduino work, learning how to program the embedded systems that will control their rocket's electronics.

Week 2 focuses on prototype development and launch:Students move from simulation to physical construction. They build their rocket prototype using the design they developed in week one. The final days of the program culminate in the rocket launch in Rovigo, where students see their design perform in a real flight environment.

This two-phase structure is pedagogically deliberate. Students cannot skip the simulation phase and go straight to building. The understanding developed in week one is what makes the construction in week two meaningful rather than mechanical.

‍

What makes the OpenRocket and Arduino components important?

These are not incidental technical components. They represent two of the most significant skills gaps in early engineering education.

OpenRocket is a professional-grade open-source rocket simulation tool used by aerospace engineers and serious hobbyists worldwide. It allows users to model rocket geometry, mass distribution, center of pressure, center of gravity, and flight trajectory under varying conditions. Using OpenRocket requires understanding the physics of flight well enough to input meaningful parameters, which means the tool teaches by demanding real comprehension.

Students who complete the program have working experience with a tool that professional rocket designers use. That is a concrete skill that can be demonstrated in a university application or discussed in an engineering interview.

Arduino is the dominant platform for embedded systems education globally. It is used in robotics, aerospace, automotive engineering, and consumer electronics. Learning to program Arduino to collect and transmit flight data from a rocket puts students in contact with a technology they will encounter repeatedly if they pursue any engineering discipline.

The combination of OpenRocket simulation and Arduino programming within a single two-week project is unusual even at the university level. Most summer programs in STEM cover these topics separately or superficially. The Aerospace Engineering and Space Tech program treats them as integrated components of a complete engineering workflow.

‍

What excursions are included?

The program includes excursions that connect the academic content to the broader context of aerospace in Italy and to Rome as a city.

Included excursions:

• Visit to a leading aerospace company: Students visit an actual aerospace company in the Italian sector. This provides direct exposure to how aerospace engineering is practiced professionally, beyond the academic setting of Sapienza.
• Rocket launch in Rovigo: The culminating event of the program. Students travel to Rovigo for the launch of the prototypes they have built during the two weeks.
• Rome sightseeing: Guided visits to Rome's central landmarks, including the Colosseum, the Pantheon, and the Fontana di Trevi.

Rome is one of the world's most historically significant cities, and two weeks spent studying and living there leaves participants with a relationship to the city that is fundamentally different from a tourist visit. For students considering Italy as a destination for future study, reading about  gives a concrete sense of what academic programs in the country look like.

‍

What are the accommodation and living conditions like?

Students are accommodated in a university residence in the city centre of Rome. The residence offers individual studio rooms with en-suite bathrooms and fully equipped kitchenettes. Common facilities include a gym, TV rooms, game areas, common rooms, terraces, and study spaces.

House parents are present at night. Social activities are organized jointly for all students in the residence, which may include participants from other summer programs sharing the facility. Three meals per day (full board) are included, along with insurance and 24/7 staff supervision.

The combination of individual rooms and communal social activities is a deliberate design choice. Students have private space to study and recover, while the social program builds the international peer network that is often one of the most lasting outcomes of a residential experience abroad.

‍

What do students gain from this program?

At the end of the two weeks, participants receive:

• A certificate of completion from the Aerospace Engineering and Space Tech program
• Project materials from their rocket prototype development
• Experience with OpenRocket and Arduino in a real engineering context
• A documented connection to Sapienza University and the ASI/ESA partnership

Beyond these tangible outputs, the program provides something that is harder to quantify but equally important: confirmed interest. Students who complete this program know, from experience rather than assumption, whether aerospace engineering is a field they want to pursue. That clarity is valuable at an age when many students are still deciding what they want to study.

For students whose interest is confirmed, the program creates a credible foundation for a university application. A personal statement that describes designing and launching a rocket prototype, programming its electronics, and working within the institutional network of Sapienza, ASI, and ESA is substantively stronger than one that describes a general interest in space.

For students who find during the program that their interest lies elsewhere, that outcome is also valuable. Two weeks of genuine exposure is a much more efficient way to test a career hypothesis than three years of university study in the wrong direction.

‍

How does this connect to longer-term study and career paths?

Aerospace engineering is one of the most internationally mobile fields in engineering. The major employers, including ESA, NASA, Airbus, Leonardo, and SpaceX, recruit globally and value international experience in their candidates. Students who begin building that international profile at 15 or 16, through structured programs in credible institutional environments, are meaningfully better positioned than those who wait until university.

For students considering longer-term study abroad, Be Easy's  offers a full academic year or semester outside their home country, which can be combined with a summer camp like this one as part of a planned international education trajectory. Reading about  provides a broader framework for families thinking about this planning.

The aerospace sector specifically benefits from multilingual candidates with direct experience in European institutions. Italy, through both Sapienza and its space agency network, is a relevant entry point into that ecosystem.

‍

What is it like to study and live in Rome for two weeks?

Rome is a city that requires no introduction in cultural terms. For students who arrive primarily focused on the engineering program, the city itself becomes an unexpected additional layer of the experience.

The university residence is located in the city centre, which means that after evening sessions, students are within walking distance of some of the most historically significant urban fabric in the world. The Colosseum, the Roman Forum, the Pantheon, Trastevere, and the Piazza Navona are not distant tourist sites requiring organized trips. They are part of the daily environment.

This matters for the kind of lateral thinking that good engineers develop. Rome is not only a museum of ancient history. It is also a city that has continuously adapted its engineering heritage: its infrastructure, its water systems, its urban planning have been built and rebuilt across centuries. For students studying engineering, spending two weeks in a city where the physical evidence of 2,500 years of engineering decisions is visible in the streets is a different kind of education.

The international peer environment reinforces this. Students in the residence come from multiple countries. Evenings and social activities create the kind of informal cross-cultural exchange that formal programs cannot schedule but consistently produce when young people with similar interests are placed together in an unfamiliar environment.

‍

Frequently asked questions about the aerospace engineering summer camp in Rome 2026

Do students need a background in physics or engineering to participate?A secondary school level of physics and mathematics is sufficient. The program introduces all aerospace-specific concepts from the ground up. Students with prior coding experience will find the Arduino component easier, but it is not a prerequisite.

Is the rocket launch safe? Who supervises it?The rocket launch in Rovigo is conducted under professional supervision with appropriate safety protocols. Rocket launches of this type are a standard component of aerospace education programs and are managed by experienced staff.

What language is the program taught in?The program is taught entirely in English. Students need a minimum B1 level of English. Italian language skills are not required.

Is the certificate from this program recognized by universities?The certificate documents completion of the program. Its recognition varies by institution. Many universities do not formally credit summer programs, but the experience is highly relevant for personal statements, interviews, and demonstrating genuine interest in the field. Students should verify specific requirements with the universities they are targeting.

Can students keep their rocket prototype?Program materials, including project materials from the rocket development, are included in what participants take home. Students should confirm specifics about the physical prototype with Be Easy.

‍

How Be Easy can help

Be Easy works directly with the Aerospace Engineering and Space Tech program team and supports families and students throughout the process, from evaluating whether the program is the right fit to handling all logistics for the trip to Rome. If you or your child is considering this program for summer 2026, get in touch with us.